Illinois is heading into the season in rare company, and the schedule is built to test that ranking from the jump. The Illini landed at No. 3 in the Preseason AP Top 25, tying for the second-highest preseason slot in school history, but the path ahead is lined with ranked opponents and teams on the edge of the poll.
Fifteen of Illinois’ 32 games come against teams that either cracked the preseason AP Top 25 or received votes. Seven of those opponents are in the top 25, giving the Illini a long runway of high-end matchups that can shape both the résumé and the team’s early-season gauge.
The nonconference slate is especially loaded. Every high-major opponent there is ranked or receiving votes, led by No.
2 Duke on Nov. 17, No.
4 UConn on Dec. 4 and No. 19 Texas Tech on Nov.
- The full list of preseason AP Top 25 opponents includes No.
2 Duke, No. 4 UConn, No.
6 Michigan State, No. 16 Michigan, No.
19 Texas Tech, No. 21 USC and No.
22 UCLA. Among teams receiving votes are Missouri, Nebraska, Purdue, Ohio State, North Carolina, Iowa and Indiana, with Purdue appearing twice on the schedule.
There’s real weight to that kind of gauntlet. Illinois returns 65.4% of its scoring from last season, bringing back David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic and Jake Davis.
The roster also took hits, losing Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 overall NBA Draft pick, along with veterans Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous, who are both on NBA rosters. Still, the Illini added top-15 overall transfer Stefan Vaaks and five-star freshman guard Quentin Coleman, the headliner of a No. 12 recruiting class.
The preseason ranking itself says plenty about where Illinois sits. This is the highest the program has been in the preseason AP poll since 2001-02, when it also checked in at No.
- The best preseason ranking in school history remains No. 2 in 1984-85, and the last time Illinois opened a season in the preseason top five was 2004-05, when it was No.
- All three of the program’s previous top-five preseason teams reached the Sweet Sixteen, and only one - the 2004-05 group - got beyond that round.
While basketball grabs the spotlight, Illinois football recruiting keeps piling up strong performances on the stat sheet from its Class of 2027 commits. Four-star Illinois wide receiver Bennett Konkey turned in a season-high 14 catches for 151 yards and a touchdown as Geneva beat St.
Charles East 42-21. Through nine games, he has 69 receptions for 1,363 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Three-star Texas wide receiver Brody Knowles added nine catches for 143 yards in Southlake Carroll’s 40-28 win over Keller. Through seven games, he has 40 receptions for 746 yards and nine touchdowns.
Three-star Florida running back Steven Alexis posted 14 carries for 133 yards and a touchdown in Gibbs’ 20-15 loss to Countryside. On the season, Gibbs has totaled 107 carries for 975 yards and 12 touchdowns, plus 19 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns.
Three-star Iowa tight end Cade Newman had 10 receptions for 101 yards in Ankeny Centennial’s 37-10 loss to Dowling Catholic. Through eight games, he has 49 catches for 580 yards and four touchdowns.
Three-star Mississippi quarterback Sladen Shack finished 13 of 28 for 254 yards and a touchdown in Petal’s 35-34 loss. Over seven games, he has completed 93 of 157 passes for 1,350 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
And three-star Pennsylvania quarterback Owen Herrick put together the cleanest line of the bunch, completing 10 of 11 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns in Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 42-0 win over North Allegheny. Through seven games, he has completed 89 of 119 passes for 1,405 yards, 16 touchdowns and one interception.
Illinois men’s golf closed its fall schedule with a first team win of the season, and it came in a tight one. The No.
12 Illini finished in a three-way tie at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational at Fallen Oak at Beau Rivage Resort in Saucier, Miss., shooting 4-over 868 to match No. 1 Arkansas and No.
46 South Carolina. Illinois wrapped up the event with a 2-under 286 in the final round.
Senior Max Herendeen paced the Illini with a 4-under 212, good for a tie for second and just one shot behind LSU’s Daniel Hayes, who won medalist honors at 5 under. It was Herendeen’s third top-three finish in four fall tournaments. Junior Trey Marrion tied for 11th at 1 over, freshman Harrison Zipfel tied for 25th at 5 over in his first career start in the lineup, and senior Dane Huddleston tied for 30th at 6 over.
The result gave Illinois head-to-head wins over several ranked teams, including No. 9 Tennessee, which finished fourth at 5 over, No.
14 Georgia in seventh at 16 over, No. 4 Alabama in ninth at 21 over and No.
20 Ohio State in 10th at 22 over. The Illini had top-six team finishes in all four events this fall, including two top-two finishes.
Illinois now has a break from team competition before opening the spring portion of the schedule Feb. 15-16 at the Hal Williams Collegiate in Mobile, Ala.
In Other News...
Oregon Brings A New Distraction Into Its Trip To Illinois
Oregons trip to Illinois picked up an unwelcome subplot before the Ducks even got fully focused on the field. Springfield Police said receiver Evan Stewart was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of intoxicants, adding another layer of noise around a team trying to keep its attention on a road game that already carried plenty of weight.
Coach Dan Lanning addressed the incident at a press conference and said the situation did not meet program standards, adding that it would be handled internally without naming Stewart. The timing only heightens the uncertainty around one of Oregons top playmakers, since Stewart had already missed the recent game because of injury and remains the teams leading receiver. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Faces A Brutal Oregon Test After A Costly QB Change
Illinois is heading into one of its toughest tests of the season with a new quarterback under center after Katin Houser underwent surgery on a hand injury and is expected to miss four to six weeks. That leaves Michael Clayton II to make the start against Oregon, a sudden change that adds even more pressure to a matchup the Illini were already approaching as an uphill climb.
Oregon is favored in the betting market, which only sharpens the challenge for Illinois as it tries to steady itself around a backup quarterback. For Clayton, the spotlight arrives immediately, and for the Illini, the bigger question is how much of the offense can hold together against a Ducks team that will be expecting to capitalize on every bit of uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Suddenly Has A Real Backcourt Decision To Make
Illinois got an early look at how its backcourt rotation might shake out in the exhibition win over Cincinnati, and it was freshman Ethan Brown who opened in the starting lineup ahead of transfer Stefan Vaaks. Brad Underwood pointed to practice effort metrics as part of the decision, and Brown backed it up with a lively 25-minute showing that included 15 points along with rebounds and assists.
Vaaks, though, hardly faded into the background. He came off the bench and scored 19 points, which only sharpened the sense that Illinois has more than one workable answer at guard. Even with Browns strong night, Vaaks still profiles as the more likely starter because of his experience and playmaking, leaving Underwood with a good problem to sort out before the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]